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Conservative Group Hammers Obama on AIG

American Issues Project, a conservative-aligned outside group, plans to spend more than $500,000 on ads that slam President Barack Obama and his Administration over the bonuses being paid out to AIG executives.

"The Obama Administration says it's shocked, shocked to learn AIG passed out $165 million in bonuses," says the commercial's narrator. "But who wrote the law protecting these bonuses? Obama's own Treasury Department."

The ad goes on to feature the contributions from AIG received by Obama and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) while the narrator intones: "They take huge contributions...and give AIG billions back. Is this change you can believe in?"

The ad, which was produced by Republican media consultant Larry McCarthy, begins on national cable stations tomorrow and is the second major effort so far this year by American Issues Project. Last month, AIP launched a controversial ad that referenced the birth of Jesus to highlight the spending being done by the Democratic-controlled Congress.

"AIP will continue to call the Administration and liberals in Congress out when they proclaim 'ignorance' to specifics in legislation they wrote -- and they passed," said Ed Martin, the group's president. "This is their bill -- and their bonuses."

The AIP ad hits the airwaves on the same day President Obama is scheduled to hold a primetime news conference as part of a media blitz designed to quell anger about the AIG bonuses and begin the process of selling his budget blueprint to a (somewhat) skeptical Congress.

Republicans clearly believe that the AIG furor represents the first major chink in President Obama's political armor and are moving to exploit it. Obama -- as well as Congressional Democrats -- must find a way top defuse the populist foment stirred up by AIG and quickly pivot to their solutions for solving the economic mess.

Republican media consultant Larry McCarthy,
McCarthy as in McCarthyism?
The republican'ts scream & criticize but I have yet to see a SOLUTION to any problem. Lots of talk but nothing written & shown to the public.
EDUCATE YOURSELVES:
Socialism, as it was theorized in the 19th century and put into practice by the Soviets, was the nationalization of everything — all the "means of production": banks, yes, but also industries, farms, even private property. It was an economic philosophy that explicitly rejected the market economy and capitalism, seeking instead to have the state direct economic growth through "five-year plans" and other centralized measures.
Socialism breathed its final gasp in 1989, though it had been dying long before. Some commentators still call present European states (especially France) "socialist," but this claim is equally misleading. European socialist parties have long abandoned their old objective of nationalizing the economy.
Since François Mitterrand's aborted nationalization program in the 1980s, the French state sector has been steadily shrinking through privatization. The Scandinavian countries, sometimes celebrated as models of new socialism because of their cradle to the grave welfare net, have very few nationalized industries. We are all capitalists now, at least in the West.
We can, and should, have a debate about the role of the government in health care, education, welfare and social security. But this is not a debate about socialism; it is a debate about what kind of capitalist society we want to live in. Even if the government temporarily nationalized the banking system or the big three automotive companies, we would not be socialists. There is a world of difference between nationalizing out of necessity and nationalizing out of ideology. In the former case, you do it to save the system; in the latter case, to destroy it.
It would be naive to assume that the Republicans are simply guilty of historical confusion. Republican leadership is using "socialism" as a stand-in for another political swearword: "communism." In this regard, the Republicans have shown that they are good students of history. "Socialism" is the rallying cry of their new McCarthyism: The Feds (or Reds) are coming!
Historical analogies, like political statements and economic proposals, need to be fact-checked. We no longer tolerate gratuitous comparisons to Nazism; why should we make an exception for socialism? In terms of human tragedy, it was no less disastrous. Journalists should force politicians to recognize that there is a historical record, too, and that it cannot be so easily rewritten.

Why don't you talk about how the GOP is about to start a civil war among themselves, CC?

"Watching the various spats among conservatives, it’s difficult to tell whether one is witnessing a series of lively political disagreements or an episode of “Monday Night Raw.”

In one corner, there’s former Bush administration speechwriter David Frum versus talk radio king Rush Limbaugh. In another ring, Limbaugh is taking on former House speaker-turned-conservative guru Newt Gingrich. And in the Royal Rumble, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is battling, well, pretty much everybody in the GOP. "

IN the congressional hearings on the economy one of the Republican Congressmen took advantage of his five minutes of fame by commenting, "If you like the way the government has managed AIG you are going to love National Health Care. How about this: If you like the military you are going to love National Health Care..............

Wow, Just saw on another page "New and improved Fix",
More like digested and regurgitated. You're asking for comments on how to improve "The Fix" Start by firing that Idiot Chris or just kill the page all together. Although the thought of knowing where all the GOP Dumb A**'s are keeps me from having to search for them.

The GOP is so desperate to get attention, they are willing to allow this group to go out and make hay. No need - most of the American people already know that their party (1) have no leaders to speak of, ( unless you count Palin, Rush, Joe Plummer, Steele, Boehner, and Cantor, and they don't count); (2) have no message except "no" - which frankly is getting a little tedious; (3) has no economic plan, and no one capable of creating one; and (4) just keeps repeating themselves, so if you've heard the "no" once, no need to hear it again. Chris, tell to save their money.

More of the same from Limbag Republicans who, for lack of any proof they did anything positive over the last 8 years, can only go negative. Let's hope this continues to work as well for them as it did in the last election.

More of the same from Limbag Republicans who, for lack of any proof they did anything positive over the last 8 years, can only go negative. Let's hope this continues to work as well for them as it did in the last election.

It is a known scientific fact that radiation emanating from electromagnetic fields (or electromagnetic radiation-emitting devices) can cause headaches, mood and behavioral changes, even adverse physical effects such as the induction of injury or illness.

Is it possible that high-tech communications (or security protection) devices or weaponry in the vicinity of POTUS and/or other high officials of government are causing physiological effects that could be affecting their sense of well-being -- perhaps even endangering their health?

Given the advanced state of White House telecommunications and security technology, President Obama and his key staff should commission an independent scientific field study to assess the presence and potential health hazards of both prolonged and pulsed-beam microwave radiation in and around the environment of high government officials.

Gee that's news Chris. With so many people out of work because of your heroes failures the last 8 years. You would think you could at least work for a living or even better, give your job to some one who needs it. I am positive they would earn it.

Can the republican party even do anything constructive anymore? There's Americans then there's the religious right, which, if you ask me do not even follow the laws of God themselves. Is this the only thing left of the dwindling party? Creating phony outrage, telling half truths and lies to see if it might stick and have traction. The American people are fed up with this republican crap. These adds are almost comical, like watching Saturday Night Live. Give it a rest republicans.

Since the AIG flap hit the news, Obama's poll numbers in the Gallup tracker have gone UP. The public may be angry about AIG. But they don't blame Obama for it. And a bunch of ads by a sore loser right wing outfit isn't likely to change that.

ah, Chris, the PR hack for the extreme Right, sweetlucy is right, and that link she mentions is a FOX News scoop that they later downplayed; c'mon, Chris, be a reporter and show both sides, just once, surprise us!

It would also be nice if we would point out that the AIG bonuses were part of the original plan that was drawn up in Sept. by Bush, Paulson and Bernanke. Guess, that would be too much like work huh??

"did not make clear that it was President Bush's administration that negotiated a November 25, 2008, stock purchase agreement with AIG through which the Bush Treasury Department injected the $40 billion into the company without requiring that the bonus contracts, which AIG had signed with employees, be nullified."

wagonjak1 - Next time, read the article before bothering to comment on it. Or, perhaps, read the Fix occasionally and realize that it's range of articles, not a specific one that makes the Fix a must read.

Fortunately, typists from either side of the aisle can and will be ignored,.

wagonjak1 - Next time, read the article before bothering to comment on it. Or, perhaps, read the Fix occasionally and realize that it's range of articles, not a specific one that makes the Fix a must read.

Fortunately, typists from either side of the aisle can and will be ignored,.

Amazing in that the AIG bailout was a part of TARP 1. The bonuses causing the outrage were fought for by the Bush admin. and were discussed openly with the House Ways and Means committee prior to Obama taking office.

and somehow this is Obama's fault?, that a previous admin. set it up so the government could be sued if they tried to stop them?

conservative groups are morally bankrupt, ethically bankrupt, and their ideas violate the constitution.

Seeing as every single white collar crime, every goivernment crime, and government act of malfeasance, every international law that was broken, all the broken treaties, and all of the treasonous criminal activy of the last decade were commited by individuals tied to conservative groups, I reallly don't care about their rants, complaints, comments, or appearances on the Rush Limbaugh show.

You did mention the reprehensible Ayers ads, but you didn't mention this groups connection and support for the Swift Boat Vets ads against Kerry in 2004. And that there are claims that AIP is engaging in illegal political activities that a 501 organization may not engage in.

Why any responsible reporter passes on the talking points from this group is really beyond me...

Ah, now I see where JakeD got his latest talking points. What a bunch of ankle-biters.

By the way, contributions from AIG employees to Obama were much less than Bush received in 2004 and total 0.013% of Obama's fundraising total. So that wee little annoying dog won't hunt. Or if it does, it's like as not to turn around and nip its master.